Vienna Ensemble Pro 6 Tutorial 3: Workflow Efficiency Techniques

Make the most of separating instruments from your DAW

In the previous article, we covered connecting Vienna Ensemble Pro 6 to a DAW.

We hope you saw the possibilities of opening multiple instruments in an instance and freely controlling their MIDI channels and audio outputs.

Building on that overview, we will look at techniques for a more efficient workflow with Vienna Ensemble Pro 6.

• Connect multiple computers to the same network to distribute CPU load
• Save frequently used instrument combinations as templates
• Open another song without unloading instruments

and more.

These features take advantage of the separation between the DAW and instruments.

Product site: http://sonicwire.com/product/39790

Vienna Ensemble Pro 6 video tutorials

1. 1Basic overview (introduction)
2. 2Connecting to a DAW
3. 3Workflow efficiency techniques

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Preparing to use the network feature

This feature distributes the CPU load of software instruments and effects across multiple computers.
Two conditions must be met to use it.

1. Insert a ViennaKey into every computer used

When you purchase the product, multiple Vienna Ensemble Pro 6 licenses are supplied for this feature.

Place each license on a ViennaKey or the eLicenser key used to run Cubase, and insert a key into each computer.

2. Connect the computers to the same local network with LAN cables

Connect the computers to network equipment such as a modem using LAN cables.
Gigabit-compatible LAN cables are recommended.

Distributing CPU load over the network

Once you have checked and prepared the above, configure the setup.
Here we use a main computer running the DAW and a secondary computer running the instruments.

First, launch Vienna Ensemble Pro Server on the secondary computer.

As described in the previous section, create an instance and open the instruments you want to use.
You can also create multiple instances.

Next, open Vienna Ensemble Pro on a DAW track on the main computer.

The instance running on the secondary computer is available for selection on the main computer.
Select the instance and press “CONNECT” to use it from the main computer.

The instruments are loaded and played on the secondary computer, so the CPU and memory burden on the main computer is greatly reduced.

Offline processing is also supported, so you can render the result to audio.

Creating instrument templates

You can save combinations of instances and instruments and recall them quickly when needed.
Saving frequently used instruments is convenient.

There are several ways to save, each with different characteristics.

Saving all instances

Save the combination of all currently open instances.

From the top “File” menu, choose “Save Server Project As”.
Choose a location and name, then save.

To reopen the saved state, choose “Open Server Project” from the top “File” menu.

Saving a specific instance

You can also save only a selected instance.

Select the instance and choose “Save Project As” from the top “Instance” menu.
Choose a location and name, then save.

To recall the instance, choose “Open Project” from the top “Instance” menu.

Saving specific channels (instruments)

You can save only the instruments you select and recall them quickly.
It is useful to configure and save instruments you use often.

Select and right-click the channel (instrument) you want to save.
You can select multiple instruments as well.

Choose “Save Channel Set” from the menu.
Then name and save it.

To recall the saved selection,
right-click the channel list and select “Insert Channel Set”.
The saved channels appear; select the desired preset.

Reusing instruments in other songs with Preserve

The Preserve feature allows Vienna Ensemble Pro Server to remain running even after you close a song.
This removes the need to reload instruments when switching songs or creating a new one, making song loading faster and more convenient.

Click the lock icon to switch this feature on or off.

• Locked: Preserve is on for the instance. The instruments remain loaded when the song is closed.
• Unlocked: Preserve is off for the instance. The instance closes when the song is closed.

We recommend keeping frequently used instruments open and using them like an instrument rack.

Important considerations when using Preserve

In the previous article, we explained that saving a DAW song also saves the state of Vienna Ensemble Pro Server.

As described above, Preserve lets you reuse the same instrument state.
However, you may have adjusted settings within an instance, such as volume and pan, for each song.

In that case, the current instrument state may differ from the state saved with the song, so you need to reconcile the two.

When the instrument states differ, the icon shown in the image flashes.
Click it and choose one of the following:

• Load incoming project data: restore the instance to the state saved with the project.
• Discard incoming project data: discard the instance state saved with the project and keep the current state.

In many cases you will choose “Load incoming project data”, but be sure to check this decision.

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Frequently asked questions

Q1. What is needed to use networking in Vienna Ensemble Pro 6?

Insert a ViennaKey into each computer and connect them to the same local network using LAN cables. Gigabit-compatible cables are recommended.

Q2. What is the Preserve feature?

It keeps Vienna Ensemble Pro Server running after a song is closed. Keeping frequently used instruments loaded avoids reopening them when switching songs and reduces loading time.

Q3. What ways are there to save instrument templates?

There are three: save all instances, save a specific instance, or save specific channels (instruments). Choose the method that suits your production needs.